Five Questions Parents Should Ask Themselves at the Start of Every Sports Season

Written by Director of Sports Strategy, John Haggart

With the start of another sports season just around the corner, it’s a great time for parents to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge that will provide their child (and themselves) with a positive experience this year. Parents play a key role in their children’s sporting experiences, whether that’s as a supporter, a coach, volunteering to help the team, or getting players to and from games and tournaments. For many parents, it’s many or all of these things. These roles give parents the ability to have a massive contribution to how much children – theirs and others – enjoy the sports that they play.

Here are five questions we think will help parents use their role to make the coming sports season a great one:

1. Do I know my child’s ‘why’ for playing sport? And do my behaviours support their ‘why’?

Understanding your child’s motivation for playing sport is crucial. Have a conversation with your child about why they play sport and reflect on how your behaviours support or undermine this motivation. Ask for feedback from your child to ensure you are supporting them effectively.

2. How will I, as a parent, keep actively and positively engaged throughout this season?

Happy parents are key to supporting young people in having great sport experiences. Here are some ways to stay engaged:

• become more knowledgeable about youth sport;

• don’t let winning and losing overshadow the broader lessons sport can teach;

• role model emotionally intelligent responses in adverse moments;

• ensure transparency around logistics and commitments with the wider team;

• be aware of financial stresses and seek support if needed.

3. Is my child getting enough variety? Do I need to be a ‘pully-parent’?

Encourage your child to sample different sports to find what they love. Research shows that variety in sports during childhood leads to better development and reduces the risk of overuse injuries. Balance is key, and sometimes it’s necessary to pull back rather than push forward.

4. Do I know the signs of and how to mitigate overuse injury and overtraining syndrome?

Overtraining can lead to injuries and declining performance. Monitor your child’s training load and look out for signs of overtraining, such as decreased performance, chronic pain, mood swings, and fatigue. Encourage a variety of activities to mitigate these risks.

5. How will I ensure that my child’s sport is safe, fair, and inclusive?

Safeguarding young people in sport is everyone’s responsibility. Familiarise yourself with good practices for child protection, diversity, and inclusion.

St Andrews prides itself in ensuring the child has quality coaches and should parents have any concerns about this they should contact the Director of Sport.